Pastor Jasmin Brown Selfless service for the Lord
SHE has travelled the world sharing the gospel, enlightening people in places like England, the United States, Italy, Canada and Haiti. She has written three books and produced two albums, and she oversees six churches in Jamaica.
She is a qualified psychologist and marriage officer, yet Pastor Jasmin Brown, now preaching from the New United Bibleway Church of God in Riversdale, St Catherine, remains selfless and ready to do more.
“It was always my desire to serve the Lord,” Brown tells all woman.
Though it was never her dream to become a pastor, that part of her life simply fell into place. Brown grew up in the church with both her parents being pastors, so it was no surprise to her that at the age of five she felt the desire to commit her life to the Lord.
But this decision was met with much opposition, primarily from her parents, who felt she was much too young and not yet conscious of what this decision meant. But little Jasmin would not take no for an answer and even at five she was a force to reckon with.
“I told them that if they did not baptise me I would join the jonkunoo dance that would be taking place in Linstead that Christmas,” she laughed.
And so she was baptised, and since age five, has never deviated from the path she started on.
“God does His own thing in His own way. Look at Samuel and Josiah in the Bible, God used them from a very young age,” she said.
Her first sermon
By age 12, Brown was very active in the youth department and the missionary’s department of the New United Bibleway Church of God. It was at this age that she preached her first sermon to the congregation.
“I had a daddy who would make sure we – my three siblings and I – would be doing everything. Even in high school when we were doing CXCs we could not stop from church to study.” Going to church both on weekdays and on Sundays was a must. There was simply no holiday from church.
In fact, as a child Brown learned to play the keyboard, the drum and the guitar, becoming one of the chief musicians in the church. By age 16, she was conducting funeral services single-handedly. She recalls her first funeral service.
“I was nervous at first but I actually liked it. At the end of the service, the husband of the deceased was very impressed, he came up to me and gave me some money. At that age I couldn’t wait to perform more services – the reward was sweet!” she laughed.
Brown admits that though she was more or less pushed into living for the church, a passion developed for it to the point where she in no way felt pressured.
“The fact that God has called me and chosen me, that gives me the energy to run the race. He is the one who has called me and I answered His call ‘here am I, send me!,” she said.
And on being a female pastor: “I personally have not gotten a lot of opposition from people as a woman pastor. The work must be done, so if the men are ready to stand on the front line, I am willing to stand beside them. God has called the men to be the head, but until the men are willing to come forward then we have to do it as women.
If not, the work will not get done. I believe that when God looks at me He does not see a woman, He sees a servant, not gender. We (men and women) are basically the same, the only difference is the fact that we have a womb!”
Fulfilling ministries
Some of Brown’s outreach programmes include the Eagles of Faith Ministry, United Bible College in Bog Walk, and a learning centre in the Riversdale square.
Eagles of Faith, with the help from persons here and overseas, distributes food and clothing to persons in the community and to an infirmary in Manchester, while also providing back-to-school supplies and tuition fees for students.
“We hope to make it national or even international,” Brown said. “In fact, last year we adopted two children from Haiti after going there on a mission. Their father died and their mother walks the street insane.”
Brown’s books speak to various aspects on Christians’ struggle with the faith. They are Bruised But not Broken in Despair, Come Here my Crippled Child, Checked in but not on Board: The Church in the Waiting Room. She is in the process of writing her fourth book The Vineyard, which is about fruitfulness in the body of Christ.
She also launched her first album a few years ago – Here am I ,send me which features remakes and originals of songs that she has penned. This was followed by a second Take it by force. She was quick to point out that the main aim of her albums are to minister the gospel and not to build a career.
And with so much on her plate, Brown still finds the time to do one of the things she simply loves to do.
“I love to talk, to share with people, not on a professional basis but just to encourage. I get a kick from sitting up all night with my children and just talking,” she said. “I have an army of spiritual children – tons of them! I have some in England, Canada, some that I grew until they moved out and got married and some that still live with me.
At one point I had about 12 living at the house. Because of the relationship that I have with them, I do not regret not having biological children. I treat them like my kids and they treat me like their biological mother. There is not a day that I am not overwhelmed with them.”
Single and complete
Though she has never been married, Brown still feels her life is complete.
“I consider my life to be complete in Christ. I do not feel fulfilment comes from man. I do not feel empty. I have told the Lord that I belong to Him so whatever He wants to do with me He can. If He sees that a husband will complement the ministry and me then so let it be. As long as that is His will.”
For her, discouragement comes “whenever there is a lack of growth in the church”.
“That is when I feel my efforts aren’t worth it. But I have never been discouraged because I am tired of the ministry. In fact, right now I am looking at expanding the ministry to radio and television,” she said.
It was after living abroad for 10 years, that Brown returned to Jamaica with instructions from the Lord to make leaders of his people. But since her return 12 years ago, she has gotten caught up in other aspects of ministry building, while allowing her mandate to dwindle.
It wasn’t until last year while in class at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology (CGST) that she said Dr Emmanuel Obassare poured into her life, the importance of following the vision that God gave. Right then and there she decided to target every leader in every local church, which has not been trained to have them fully trained and equipped for their calling – a task she has already begun.Concerns for the nation
“What troubles me most is the fact that gunmen are making the headlines in our papers and on our news. I believe God wants to do a shift, a birthing in Jamaica. The enemy is boasting of his accomplishments each time we headline how many the gunmen have killed. Can you imagine when these gunmen are reading the papers how proud they must be when they see ’10 murdered’ etc? The headlines should instead be saying ’10 blind eyes open’, ’10 lame walk,’ etc. It is time to big-up God instead of exalting the enemy! Look into it,” she said passionately.
She added: “I am appealing to the churches to get back to the upper room as in the book of Acts. We need to get back the power of prayer. I know that there are churches that are praying, but we need to push more. I believe the women are the ones to push.
When we as women push, something happens, there is a birth. I have a vision for the ‘Wailing Women’s Ministry’ where women will travail for the country. God is calling the women. He is saying ‘the children have come to birth but there is not enough pushing’.”
Her other desire is the forming of a national prayer band that will meet once per week to pray for the country.
“There are a lot of praying people in Jamaica but a national prayer band would definitely put the country under God. I am not knocking the churches, but as leaders we need to take the labels off and come together for our prayers to be more effective,” Brown said.
husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com
